1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to 2-aryl-4-quinazolinones and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same for treating cancer, particularly for malignant gliomas.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Primary brain and spinal cord tumors are among the top 10 causes of deaths due to cancer with over 16,000 people dying from them each year in the United States. Malignant gliomas account for approximately 70% of the 22,500 new cases of malignant primary brain tumor that are diagnosed in adults in the United States each year. Although the prevalence of malignant glioma is relative lower than that of the other cancers such as lung, breast, prostate, colorectal, and liver cancers, malignant glioma has high mortality. In Taiwan, the frequencies of death of malignant brain tumor hit 1.06% in men and 1.45% in women, ranked the 15th and 13th respectively. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) defined by WHO as grade IV is the most common and most aggressive type of glioma in humans. Despite optimal treatment, the median survival is only 12 to 15 months for patients with glioblastomas. Despite recent advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the prognosis of patients diagnosed with malignant gliomas remains very poor. The current technique lacks a compound with profound efficacy on gliomas. Therefore, the development of the new anti-malignant glioma drugs is urgently needed.